Botswana’s Timeless Wilderness
Big Game, Splendid Isolation
12 Days door-to-door
If we had to pick the most miraculous African place of all, it might well be the Okavango Delta, where the 1,000-milelong Okavango River gives up on its search for an outlet to the sea and seeps lifegivingly into the sands of one of the world’s most uncompromising deserts, creating a vast and mesmerizing oasis. As Frans Lanting wrote in his elegiac book Okavango: Africa’s Last Eden, “The [Delta’s] very existence in the middle of the Kalahari Desert is nothing short of miraculous . . . like a dream.”
Botswana’s wilderness is expansive and—to our scurrying senses—timeless, and the Okavango isn’t its only dreamy place. Our under-two-week safari takes us to three others, right up near the top of African marvels: Chobe National Park and, up near the Zambian border, the exemplary Moremi Wildlife Reserve, quite close to another phenomenon of miraculous rarity, Victoria Falls.
Safari Highlights
- Wending the animal-rich waterways and plains of the world-unique Okavango Delta by motorcraft, comfy dugout canoes, and well-provisioned 4-Wheel drive vehicles.
- Private, festive welcoming dinner with Felix and Jane Pinto’s dear Johannesburg friends.
- Expertly guided nature walks and interactive discovery sessions geared toward the Okavango’s marvelously adapted wildlife, its fascinating ecology, and sheer wilderness wonder.
- Beginning-to-trip’s-end services of expert guides and facilitators and our ceaselessly alert Concierge Service.
- Optional ballooning
Itinerary
Day 1 En route.
We begin our adventure as we wing to South Africa.
Day 2 Johannesburg
After arriving at O. R. Tambo International, we’ll be escorted to the Saxon Boutique Hotel and Spa in Johannesburg’s tree-lined suburb of Sandhurst. This luxury hotel has much to be proud of but says, touchingly, that its greatest “boast” is that the late Nelson Mandela chose the Saxon as his sanctuary at which to complete his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. Tonight, we’ll also enjoy dinner at the home of Micato family friends.
Days 3 & 4 The Northern Okavango Delta
Our base in the miraculous Delta is the secluded, beautifully shaded Kadizora Camp. Intimate and lovingly fashioned, Kadizora has many charms: unflashy luxury, great dining, extraordinarily well-designed tents (and we think its large fire pit is a near-matchless place to watch Africa’s piercingly expressive stars).
Among the camps in the Delta that offer optional hot air ballooning, Kadizora is notable for its variety of game-viewing experiences, from canoeing in the Delta’s serene waterways, to guided walking safaris, to four-wheel drive excursions in the neighboring plains. All the classic African headliners are to be seen, sometimes unexpectedly. “One of the Okavango’s delights, Frans Lanting writes, “is the sheer surprise of seeing an elephant emerge from underwater.”
VIEW MORE DAYS
Days 5 & 6 The Southeastern Okavango
A quick flight takes us southeastward to Gomoti Plains Camp, where the river of that name, a thick tendril of Okavango lushness, is bounded by savannah giving way to desert, offering us another exceptionally varied look at intertwined ecosystems and the charismatic animals that call them home. Because of Gomoti’s untroubled remoteness, much wildlife filming and research has been done here, of lions, elephants, buffalo, and especially of the area’s large coterie of African wild dogs, sometimes called painted wolves.
Gomoti Plains Camp, set pacifically along the banks of the Gomoti River, accommodates us with tents set on raised wooden decks and decorated to mirror the water and land themes that define the exquisite and heart-liftingly rare Okavango.
Days 7 & 8 Moremi Wildlife Reserve
Another short flight takes us north to the Khwai River and Machaba Camp, designed in classic 1950s safari style, so well suited to its surroundings that animals wander down to the river insouciantly, delighting us as we watch, sundowner in hand, from our tents. And, not to be outdone by Chobe, Moremi gives us the chance to see the huge African night sky that ever captivated Elspeth Huxley, a sky “bristling with innumerable stars, as close-packed as the quills on a porcupine.”
Days 9 & 10 Victoria Falls
An old-fashioned, colonial-style redoubt and one of T+L’s Best Hotels in the World, the Royal Livingstone Hotel underwent a many-million-dollar upgrade recently, and its charms have been burnished to a shine for another few decades to come. As for the falls, we’ll repeat something a good friend of ours once said: “Victoria Falls is billed as one of the world’s greatest waterfalls, but, as a matter of fact, it’s one of the world’s greatest anythings.”
Days 11 & 12 Johannesburg & onward
We fly from Livingstone to Johannesburg, and on to a day room in the InterContinental at Johannesburg’s airport, and connect with our inter national flight home, arriving on Day 12.
“The word wonderful does not fit into science, for from one point of view every natural occurrence is as wonderful as another. But we are justified in using the term when we meet a phenomenon which is such an exception to the ordinary rules of nature that it appears to be a miracle.”
Eugene N. Marias
The Soul of the Ape
Camps & Lodges
Learn More
Visitors to Machaba Camp are charmed by its extraordinarily airy and fresh tents, by its eventful and rewarding game drives in the Moremi Reserve and the reserve’s profound quietude and riverine beauty. It's a blissful, only-in-Africa experience of sitting at the veranda and watching the wildlife go by.
Moremi Reserve, Botswana
Machaba Camp
Royal Livingstone
Livingstone, Zambia
An old-fashioned, colonial-style redoubt, fully up-to-the-second, one of T+L’s Best Hotels in the World, the Royal Livingstone would be a sought-after destination even if it weren’t within strolling distance of ceaselessly stunning Livingstone.
Learn More
Gomoti Plains Camp is located on the edge of the Gomoti river. Named after the Gomoti tree, a type of water fig, these trees offer excellent cover for water fowl. The camp offers 10 luxury tents on slightly raised wooden decks with en-suite bathroom facilities.
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Gomoti Plains Camp
Saxon Hotel & Spa
Johannesburg, South Africa
The Saxon embodies the best of South Africa’s charm, and is deserving of its status as one of the leading boutique hotels in the world. Priding itself on fantastic service, stunning African decor and indulgent accommodations, no detail is left unconsidered at this exclusive six-acre escape in Johannesburg’s most exclusive suburb.
Intimate and lovingly fashioned, Kadizora has many charms: unflashy luxury, great dining, extraordinarily well-designed tents. Its secluded location allows us to explore via canoe excursions and walking safaris.
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Kadizora Camp
Dates & Rates
Departs Saturday, returns WednesdayLand Arrangements, per person (2018)
| April-May | June-Oct. | Nov.-March | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double Occupancy | $13,500 | $15,950 | $12,650 |
| Single Supplement | $1,450 | $2,750 | $1,150 |
| Internal Flights | $800 | $800 | $800 |
2018 Dates
To and from Home | Every date is a guaranteed departure
Note: Dates in italic with * do not depart on Saturday.
Aug. 04 – Aug. 15
Aug. 18 – Aug. 29
*Aug. 20 – Aug. 31
Sep. 01 – Sep. 12
Sep. 15 – Sep. 26
*Sep. 18 – Sep. 29
Oct. 13 – Oct. 24
Oct. 27 – Nov. 07
Nov. 10 – Nov. 21
Dec. 22 – Jan. 02
Dec. 29 – Jan. 09
2019 Dates
To and from Home | New rates and dates may apply
Jan. 19 – Jan. 30
Feb. 09 – Feb. 20
Feb. 23 – Mar. 06
Mar. 16 – Mar. 27
Mar. 30 – Apr. 10
Apr. 13 – Apr
May 11 – May 22
May 25 – Jun. 05
Jun. 08 – Jun. 19
Jun. 22 – Jul. 03
Jul. 06 – Jul. 17
Jul. 20 – Jul. 31
Aug. 17 – Aug. 28
Aug. 24 – Sep. 04
Aug. 31 – Sep. 11
Sep. 14 – Sep. 25
Sep. 28 – Oct. 09
Oct. 12 – Oct. 23
Nov. 09 – Nov. 20
Nov. 23 – Dec. 04
Dec. 21 – Jan. 01
Dec. 28 – Jan. 08
Make it Private
Botswana’s Timeless Wilderness can be transformed into a fully private trip for a family or a group of friends. You’ll have your own Tour Director and your pick of departure dates. Contact our experts or your travel advisor to find out how to make this tour a private journey.
Options & Extensions
While you’re in the area, you might be interested in this fine extension. Our travel specialists can work them into your itinerary.
Hot Air Balloon Safari
An angel's eye view of a heavenly landscape
It is an effortless feeling usually reserved for dreams… natural, feather-light, exhilarating. There, looking out over a stunning landscape, from your peerless perch, in the calming silence of the African dawn… it’s hard to imagine it getting any better. And then, the star of the show—quite literally, in fact—pokes out from under its terrestrial cloak.
Lend a Helping Hand on Safari
An Opportunity to Change a Life
Every Micato traveller is given the opportunity to change the course of a life. We invite guests to spend an extra day in Nairobi and visit one of our AmericaShare projects in the slums, learn of the challenges, meet the orphaned and vulnerable children and be inspirited to help.
Tracking Majestic Mountain Gorillas
A Rare and Breathtaking Experience
The soft mists prevail here as they did when Dian Fossey wrote her legendary book Gorillas in the Mist. And the creatures that drew Dr. Fossey are the same ones which beckon to us: rare and endangered Mountain Gorillas.
Cape Town Sojourn
Cosmopolitan and captivating
A beautiful mix of natural and man-made pleasures, Cape Town is Africa’s treasure for good reason. This perfect post-safari sojourn yields a winning blend of top city sights, sophisticated dining, luscious winelands, and more.
Zanzibar
Exploring the Isles of Spices
Zanzibar. It’s perfumed air caresses travellers with scents of the spices that have grown in abundance throughout the island since time began. Exotic and enchanting, this Indian Ocean isle allures travellers with a personality and pace all its own—just a short hop from mainland Tanzania, but a world away. The name alone conjures a romantic daydream. Meandering streets are lined with whitewashed houses and reminders of Swahili influence; the air is redolent of the spices grown here for centuries. From the lush Jozani Forest to bustling Stone Town, Zanzibar is an island paradise ripe for exploration.
